The Sunshine Scramble: A 1 Week Florida Itinerary That Won't Leave You Sunburned and Broke

Your Day-By-Day 1 Week Florida Itinerary (Without Needing A Second Mortgage)

The perfect Florida vacation strikes a delicate balance between iconic experiences and hidden gems that won’t require refinancing your home. This 1 week Florida itinerary has been calibrated to maximize enjoyment while minimizing financial hemorrhaging, though proper planning a trip to Florida requires strategic timing and budgeting. Pack your sunscreen (SPF 70 minimum), comfortable shoes, and a sense of humor—you’ll need all three.

Days 1-2: Orlando Area – Beyond Mouse Ears

Orlando: where dreams come true and credit cards melt faster than ice cream in July, though savvy travelers know there are numerous things to do in Orlando beyond the theme park circuit. While the theme parks are inevitable (Disney’s Magic Kingdom: $109-189/day; Universal: $109-179/day), the savvy traveler knows to balance these wallet-extracting experiences with more affordable alternatives. If you’re determined to do Disney, Tuesday through Thursday during non-holiday periods will spare you from the worst crowds, and Disney’s Genie+ system ($15-35/day) can help minimize wait times—though using it requires the technological prowess of a NASA engineer.

For a theme park respite, Winter Park offers a civilized alternative with its boat tours through cypress-lined canals ($16), the Morse Museum’s stunning Tiffany glass collection ($6), and the Park Avenue shopping district where window shopping costs exactly $0. The photo opportunities here won’t involve forced smiles in front of castles that appear on everyone else’s Instagram, but rather Spanish moss-draped oaks and peacocks strutting around like they own the place (which, arguably, they do).

Accommodation options span from Disney’s Grand Floridian ($650+/night), where your pillow gets turned down with mathematical precision, to perfectly reasonable chain hotels in Kissimmee ($85-150/night) where the only characters you’ll encounter are the interesting folks at the waffle maker during continental breakfast—choices that represent the wide spectrum of accommodation in Florida available to travelers. The 15-minute additional drive time translates to hundreds of dollars saved—money better spent on literally anything else.

Orlando dining presents a stark contrast between tourist traps selling $17 chicken tenders and local gems like East End Market’s artisanal food hall or the Mills 50 district’s exceptional Vietnamese restaurants where $15 gets you a bowl of pho big enough to swim in. The rule of thumb: if the restaurant features animatronic animals or waitstaff dressed as fictional characters, prepare for your bill to induce cardiac arrhythmia.

Day 3: Space Coast – Rockets and Beaches

The Space Coast offers the perfect juxtaposition of educational value and beach relaxation—like having your vitamin D and learning it too. The Kennedy Space Center visitor complex ($75 adults) delivers genuine inspiration that makes the admission price almost palatable. Check their launch schedule before planning your visit; witnessing a rocket launch adds the kind of vacation memory that outshines any souvenir t-shirt. The complex gets progressively more crowded as the day advances, so arrive when they open at 9 AM unless you enjoy viewing space exhibits through a forest of strangers’ selfie sticks.

Afterward, Cocoa Beach awaits with its wide shores and surf culture. Those seeking fewer crowds should head slightly north to Playalinda Beach or south to Melbourne Beach, where the ratio of sand to humans improves dramatically. Accommodation along A1A ranges from motels with questionable bedspreads ($70-100) to oceanfront condos where you can fall asleep to wave sounds instead of highway noise ($200-300).

The Space Coast’s seafood scene features restaurants where astronauts allegedly dine, though the prices suggest they must be using NASA’s expense accounts. For budget travelers, the local fish markets offer fresh catches you can cook at your condo, saving enough money to perhaps afford next month’s electric bill. Safety note: practice the “stingray shuffle” (dragging feet through sand in shallow water) and respect the power of rip currents, which move with the speed and determination of seniors heading for an early bird special.

Day 4: Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg

Tampa Bay provides a refreshing break from Orlando’s engineered experiences, offering a blend of authentic history and coastal charm. Tampa’s historic Ybor City neighborhood, once the cigar capital of the world, now showcases a different kind of smoking—slow-cooked barbecue and Cuban-fired cuisine. The TECO streetcar system ($5 unlimited day pass) presents both practical transportation and an attraction in itself, a rare combination in Florida’s car-centric culture.

Cross the bay to St. Petersburg, whose surprising art scene defies Florida stereotypes. The Salvador Dalí Museum ($25) houses the largest collection of the surrealist’s works outside Spain, while the Chihuly Collection ($20) displays glass sculptures that somehow haven’t been shattered by hurricanes. The free waterfront Museum of Fine Arts offers culture without the admission price—a concept almost as rare as a Florida driver using a turn signal.

Accommodations create a classic traveler’s dilemma: downtown Tampa hotels ($150-250) put you near nightlife but away from beaches, while St. Pete beach rentals ($200-300) offer sand access but require Uber rides for evening entertainment. The famous Cuban sandwich provides affordable sustenance, though be warned that Tampa’s version includes salami—a modification Miami Cubans consider a culinary crime approaching felony status.

Weather note: The Tampa Bay area receives more lightning strikes than anywhere in North America, turning afternoon thunderstorms into light shows that would make Broadway producers jealous. When locals suddenly abandon outdoor restaurant patios en masse, follow their lead—they’re not avoiding the check but avoiding becoming a cautionary tale on the evening news.

Day 5: Sarasota and Siesta Key

Sarasota represents Florida’s more sophisticated side, where culture and beaches achieve a harmony rarely found elsewhere in the state. The Ringling Museum complex ($25) combines an impressive art museum, a circus museum explaining Florida’s weird carnival history, and Ca’ d’Zan mansion—a Mediterranean Revival palace that makes you wonder if perhaps you should have chosen a career in the circus business after all.

Siesta Key Beach, with its 99% pure quartz sand, remains cool even on blistering days when asphalt elsewhere in Florida melts shoes to the pavement. This scientific miracle alone justifies the visit, though parking requires tactical planning: arrive before 10 AM or after 4 PM unless you enjoy circling parking lots like a vulture awaiting roadkill. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens ($25) offers horticultural therapy for those whose skin has reached maximum sun exposure, featuring plants that somehow thrive in Florida’s climate rather than surrendering to it as humans do.

Accommodation options range from boutique hotels on St. Armands Circle ($250+) to mainland motels ($100-150) where the décor hasn’t been updated since Jimmy Carter was president. The local dining scene emphasizes fresh seafood without the tourist markup that plagues coastal areas where visitors don’t know any better. Eating grouper here costs roughly half what you’d pay in Orlando, where fish apparently must be imported via private jet based on menu prices.

Day 6: Everglades to Miami

The drive across Alligator Alley (I-75) offers a crash course in Florida’s wild side—literally, if you don’t remain vigilant for wildlife, representing just one of many unique activities in Florida that showcase the state’s natural diversity. The highway cuts through the Everglades, where strategic stops at wildlife viewing areas provide opportunities to spot alligators sunning themselves with the contentment of retirees on a cruise ship deck. Everglades airboat tours ($30-50) deliver an exhilarating if eardrum-damaging experience, though environmentally conscious travelers might prefer ranger-led tours at Everglades National Park ($25 vehicle entrance).

Shark Valley’s 15-mile bike loop ($9 bike rental) offers intimate encounters with wildlife from a safe distance, though “safe” becomes relative when alligators decide to sunbathe across the path. The observation tower at the halfway point provides panoramic views confirming that yes, Florida is indeed remarkably flat. This topographical monotony becomes immediately apparent when even a three-foot elevation qualifies as a “scenic overlook.”

Arriving in Miami requires strategic neighborhood selection, which is why planning a trip to Miami in advance helps navigate the city’s diverse districts and pricing structures. South Beach promises glamour but delivers $30 cocktails served with attitude, while Wynwood offers street art and craft breweries where bartenders have mustaches that appear to require more maintenance than most marriages. Accommodation reality: South Beach hotels ($300-500) charge prices suggesting ocean views cure chronic diseases, while mainland options ($150-250) offer reasonable rates but require navigating Miami traffic, an experience comparable to participating in an unauthorized demolition derby.

The South Beach Art Deco walking tour ($30) provides architectural appreciation and burns calories, which proves useful when confronting Miami’s notoriously overpriced restaurant scene. The city operates on a simple pricing formula: take a normal menu, add the cost of a nice watch to each item, then provide portions that wouldn’t satisfy a particularly disciplined hamster. Safety tip: secure your valuables, as Miami’s petty criminals demonstrate a work ethic that would be admirable if applied to legitimate employment.

Day 7: The Keys (or Miami Deep Dive)

Your final day presents a classic Florida dilemma: embark on an ambitious day trip to Key West (3.5 hours each way) or explore Miami’s many facets. This decision hinges on your tolerance for driving versus your desire to stand at the Southernmost Point in the continental United States—a concrete buoy perpetually surrounded by a photo line resembling an Apple Store on iPhone release day.

The Keys option offers the stunning Seven Mile Bridge and roadside attractions where you can hold baby alligators, decisions your health insurance provider would likely question. Key West’s Duval Street delivers a carnival atmosphere where t-shirts proclaim messages unsuitable for family newsletters, while sunset at Mallory Square presents nature’s beauty alongside street performers of questionable talent.

The alternative Miami exploration includes Little Havana’s authentic Cuban culture, Vizcaya Museum’s Mediterranean grandeur ($25), and Biscayne Bay boat tours ($35) where homes of celebrities you vaguely recognize from tabloid headlines are pointed out with rehearsed enthusiasm. For your final Florida night, consider either a splurge at a rooftop restaurant where beautiful people take photos of food they barely eat, or budget-friendly alternatives where locals actually finish their meals.

As your 1 week Florida itinerary concludes, remember that souvenir shopping requires discernment. Authentically Floridian keepsakes include citrus products, coffee table books of wildlife photography, and local artwork. Avoid mass-produced trinkets featuring alligators wearing sunglasses—these are manufactured in China by people who have never experienced the unique horror of seeing an actual alligator in their swimming pool.